Bottlehead Forum

Bottlehead Kits => Crack => Topic started by: MSU586 on July 11, 2020, 08:15:34 AM

Title: Need Help: Crack: thin sound, low volume, no bass[RESOLVED]
Post by: MSU586 on July 11, 2020, 08:15:34 AM

Hi folks,
I just finished assembling the stock crack (no speedball yet), but the sound is terrible.  Volume is much quieter than I expected; it sounds thin and tinny.  What little bass is there is blatty, fuzzed, and flat(almost non-existent).

What is especially odd is when I turned the power switch off with music still playing through it; the sound miraculously improved, bloomed, and sounded great for the 1.5 seconds it took to power down.  The volume increased, sound become full and rich, and the bass hit nicely.  Weird, right?

Voltages and resistances are within the listed tolerances.  I'm listening with Sennheiser HD800s.  My test source was my iPhone (turntable and eros are in storage right now).

I am hoping someone might have a brainwave on where I should focus my double-checking and re-soldering efforts before I go ahead and reflow every darn joint. 

Please let me know what think.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. 
Thanks,
~Raymond

Title: Re: Need Help: Crack: thin sound, low volume, no bass
Post by: Paul Birkeland on July 11, 2020, 10:05:25 AM

Bad solder joints will produce exactly the kind of sound you are describing.

Title: Re: Need Help: Crack: thin sound, low volume, no bass
Post by: MSU586 on July 11, 2020, 10:18:33 AM

Hey Paul,
Understood. I’m going over them now.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Thanks!
~Raymond

Title: Re: Need Help: Crack: thin sound, low volume, no bass
Post by: MSU586 on July 11, 2020, 11:46:40 AM

Hi Paul,
It was a bad solder joint.  Found it, fixed it, sounds great.  :)
Thanks again!
~Raymond